Florida's Nfl Teams Take Different Courses

While The Dolphins Enjoyed Surprising Success, The Bucs And The Jags Have Struggled.

October 31, 2000|By From Staff Reports

A break-even mark at the break-even point of the season isn't what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had in mind when they embarked on this season of unlimited expectations. But here they are, 4-4.

Things could be worse: They could be the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are 3-6 in a season in which many thought they'd be serious contenders for the Super Bowl.

Things also could be better: They could be the Miami Dolphins, who are 6-2 and one of the league's biggest surprises under Coach Dave Wannstedt.

It's safe to assume, though, that Bucs Coach Tony Dungy is dealing with 4-4 much more easily after Sunday's 41-13 blowout of the previously unbeaten Minnesota Vikings.

Had the Bucs lost Sunday, they would've been 3-5 and facing the knowledge that their season basically was over.

By virtue of one of the most complete games in Dungy's five seasons, the Bucs remain in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt with a half-season to go. Their record, in fact, is the same one they had at this point of the 1999 season when they won eight of their last nine, captured the club's first Central Division title in 18 years and advanced to the NFC title game.

"We've had some ups and downs," Dungy said Monday when asked to evaluate the year to date. "I didn't figure we'd lose two home games. That's probably the most disappointing thing out of the first half. But I think in the four games we've won we've shown what we're capable of.

"Now we have to be able to do that more consistently in the second half of the year. We do that, we'll be fine."

Still, the Bucs hope the rest of the 2000 season will be absent of the kind of hot and cold spells they hit at times in the 1997, '98 and '99 campaigns when inconsistency was often the only thing consistent about Tampa Bay.

"We'd win five in a row, lose three in a row, then win three in a row," Dungy said. "That's what we're trying to avoid. We're talented enough that if we play well week in and week out and play to our level, we can win a lot of games."

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Coach Dave Wannstedt, in his first season as head coach, wouldn't offer a letter grade when asked to assess his team's performance at the midway point of the 2000 season, but he did provide some insight on his team's startling 6-2 start.

"In some areas of our team, we've gotten better," Wannstedt said. "Have we played as good as we can play as a team? No. We haven't played a game where all three phases have played as good as they can possibly play. Performance-wise, we have a ways to go."

Of course, midseason grades don't matter in the big picture. Just ask the 1999 Dolphins, who fell apart after a 7-1 start.

Or ask Wannstedt himself.

"We need to get better," said Wannstedt, whose team plays four of its next five games on the road starting Sunday in Detroit (5-3). "There's no question about that. The competition is just going to get tougher. I know that."

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

The Jags have been one of the league's biggest disappointments, mostly because of an offensive line ravaged by injuries. But the Jags head into their bye week off perhaps their best performance of the season. The question: It seemingly is too late to salvage the season, so was Sunday's victory in Dallas an aberration or a sign that the Jags aren't going to quit?

Jacksonville was mistake-free Sunday in snapping a five-game losing streak: no fumbles, no interceptions, no sacks.

"It's really pretty simple," Coach Tom Coughlin said. "It comes down to being a physical game. The teams that win are simply the teams that run, defend the run and don't turn the ball over."

Simple things, such as winning the turnover battle and winning the line of scrimmage, made the defense look good, helped Mark Brunell play the best statistical game of his career and accounted for the 23-17 overtime victory against the Dallas Cowboys. The season may not be saved, but at least there's a glimmer of hope.

"We hadn't smiled in so, so long," said Brunell, who was 20-of-24 for 231 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Coughlin said the victory was among the most satisfying of his 32-year career.

"To focus on one thing, to recognize how the team had malfunctioned through the first part of season, then to find a way to win -- I thought that was something I'll always remember," he said.

The question is whether the second half of the season will be worth remembering.